| Dates | 2 September 1972 (first replay 9 September, second replay 23 September) |
|---|---|
| Championship venue | Basin Reserve, Wellington First replay: English Park, Christchurch Second replay: Newmarket Park, Auckland |
| Champions | Christchurch United (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Mount Wellington |
| Championship match score | 4 – 4; 1 – 1; 2 – 1 |
← 1971 1973 → | |
The 1972 Chatham Cup was the 45th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
Early stages of the competition were run on a regional basis, with the National League teams receiving a bye until the later stages of the competition. In all, 99 teams took part in the competition. Different sources give different numberings for the rounds of the competition: some start round one with the beginning of the regional qualifications; others start numbering from the first national knock-out stage. The former numbering scheme is used in this article.
The final saw the end of a Chatham Cup era, being the last final to be held at the Basin Reserve until 1980. The Basin Reserve had been the host of every final since 1928.
The 1972 final was a marathon effort, unprecedented and unequalled in Chatham Cup history. In the days before penalty shoot-outs replays were played if scores were level after extra time. The 1972 final required not one, but two replays, with the first of these being held in Christchurch (the first time that city had been host to a final match). The total aggregate of 13 goals across the three matches was a record for a final - indeed the eight goals in the first match equalled the previous record. In the first match, Christchurch United's Graham Dacombe became the first player to score four goals in one final since John Donovan in 1958. All three matches were refereed by R.W. Harries.
The first match was played in typical windy conditions at Wellington. United played with the wind in the first spell and should have had the lead early on when Mount keeper Kevin Curtin appeared to step back across his goal-line when holding onto a Vic Pollard cross. The referee turned down their appeal and the goal was not given. United were soon to gain the lead, however, with the first of Dacombe's four strikes. Two goals from penalties for the Mount, both taken by Ron Armstrong, followed before Dacombe restored the balance. In the second half Brian Turner put Mount Wellington into the lead for a second time, only for Dacombe to again level before the final whistle. In extra time it was United who took the lead for a second occasion, and it required a late Earle Thomas equaliser to send the tie to a second game.
The second match was played on Christchurch United's territory at English Park, the first time a final had ever been played outsider the North Island. Compared with the first match it was a dour game, with only one goal a piece and nowhere near the first tie's excitement. Dennis Tindall opened the scoring for Mount Wellington, and the only other goal of the game was the equaliser from Ian Park.
The third bout took place at Mount Wellington's Newmarket Park ground, and finally it produced a result. Alan Park opened the scoring for United before the interval, followed in the second spell by Alan Marley. Armstrong pulled one back — again from the penalty spot — but that was the last of the scoring. There were vociferous protest from the Mount when substitute Dave Taylor had a late effort disallowed, but in the minds of many this was poetic justice for Pollard's denied effort in the first match. [1]
| Claudelands Rovers | 3 – 2 | Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| Grosvenor Rovers (Marlborough) | 1 – 6 | Nelson United |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton | 7 – 1 | Huntly Thistle |
|---|---|---|
| Leopard United (Hastings) | 4 – 2 | Napier City |
|---|---|---|
| Kiwi United (Palmerston North) | 2 – 1 | Palmerston City (Palmerston North) |
|---|---|---|
| Metro College (Auckland) | 3 – 0 | Takapuna City |
|---|---|---|
| Moturoa | 4 – 1 | New Plymouth Old Boys |
|---|---|---|
| North Shore United | 4 – 1 | Ellerslie |
|---|---|---|
| Papakura City | 1 – 0 | Courier Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| Queens Park (Invercargill) | 1 – 1* | Invercargill United |
|---|---|---|
| Roslyn-Wakari | 2 – 1 | Dunedin City |
|---|---|---|
| Seatoun | 3 – 2 | Lower Hutt City |
|---|---|---|
| Shamrock (Christchurch) | 4 – 4* | Christchurch Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| Western Suburbs FC (Porirua) | 7 – 1 | Karori Swifts |
|---|---|---|
* Won on penalties by Queens Park (4-3) and Rangers (6-5)
| Claudelands Rovers | 4 – 1 | Affco Rangers (Ngaruawahia) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Suburbs (Auckland) | 6 – 1 | Metro College |
|---|---|---|
| Gisborne City | 7 – 1 | Leopard United |
|---|---|---|
| Kiwi United | 7 – 2 | Douglas Villa (Masterton) |
|---|---|---|
| Moturoa | 1 – 0 | Western Suburbs FC |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson United | 1 – 0 | Wellington City |
|---|---|---|
| Papakura City | 0 – 2 | Auckland City |
|---|---|---|
| Queens Park | 4 – 1 | Northern |
|---|---|---|
| Roslyn-Wakari | 0 – 3 | Caversham |
|---|---|---|
| Timaru City | 0 – 2 | New Brighton |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland City | 0 – 1 | Eastern Suburbs |
|---|---|---|
| Moturoa | 0 – 4 | Gisborne City |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Wellington | 2 – 0 | Hamilton |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson United | 4 – 0 | Kiwi United |
|---|---|---|
| Queens Park | 2 – 3 | Caversham |
|---|---|---|
| Caversham | 0 – 7 | Mount Wellington |
|---|---|---|
| Waterside | 3 – 1 | Nelson United |
|---|---|---|
| Waterside | 1 – 5 | Mount Wellington |
|---|---|---|
| Christchurch United | 4 – 4 (aet) | Mount Wellington |
|---|---|---|
| Dacombe 4 | R. Armstrong 2 (2 pens.), Turner, Thomas |
| Christchurch United | 1 – 1 (aet) | Mount Wellington |
|---|---|---|
| I. Park | Tindall |
| Christchurch United | 2 – 1 | Mount Wellington |
|---|---|---|
| A. Park, Marley | Armstrong (pen.) |
The 1925 Chatham Cup was the third annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1929 Chatham Cup was the seventh annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1930 Chatham Cup was the eighth annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1936 Chatham Cup was the 14th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1945 Chatham Cup was the 18th nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand, and the first such competition after a four-year gap caused by World War II.
The 1947 Chatham Cup was the 20th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1949 Chatham Cup was the 22nd annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1950 Chatham Cup was the 23rd annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1952 Chatham Cup was the 25th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1964 Chatham Cup was the 37th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1970 Chatham Cup was the 43rd annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1973 Chatham Cup was the 46th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1975 Chatham Cup was the 48th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1980 Chatham Cup was the 53rd annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1981 Chatham Cup was the 54th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1983 Chatham Cup was the 56th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1986 Chatham Cup was the 59th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1989 Chatham Cup was the 62nd annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 1990 Chatham Cup was the 63rd annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.
The 2009 Chatham Cup is New Zealand's 82nd knockout football competition.